"Obama Administration Plans $53 Billion High-Speed Rail Investment"

"PHILADELPHIA -- To accelerate construction of a national high-speed intercity passenger rail network, the Obama administration plans to invest $53 billion over six years, Vice President Joe Biden announced Tuesday.

The vice president made the announcement with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood during a visit to Philadelphia's historic 30th Street Station, where passengers traveling from Pittsburgh and Harrisburg on Amtrak's Keystone Corridor connect to high-speed Acela service to Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC.

Biden said the investment will help the nation reach President Barack Obama's goal of giving 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail within 25 years, as outlined in his State of the Union address on January 25."

Environment News Service had the story February 9, 2011.